Series Review: "In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal" ("나는 신이다: 신이 배신한 사람들") (2023).

"Leaders pretending to be God and the ones they betrayed. The holy betrayal that shook a nation, unveiled" in In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal (나는 신이다: 신이 배신한 사람들). This South Korean documentary series directed by Jo Sung-hyun. This docuseries examines the chilling true stories of four Korean leaders claiming to be prophets — and the dark side of unquestioning belief.

In 1980, Providence, also known as Christian Gospel Mission (CGM) or Jesus Morning Star (JMS), a Christian sect or cult was founded by religious cult leader, self-proclaimed messiah and convicted rapist, Jung Myung-seok (정명석). Providence is headquartered in WolMyeongdong, South Korea, and has since expanded to Taiwan, Japan, Hong Kong, Australia and other countries. Jung was convicted of rape by the Supreme Court of Korea and was sentenced to ten years imprisonment between 2008 to 2018. On October 28, 2022, he was again indicted for sexually assaulting two female followers between 2018 to 2022.

In August 1987, the CEO of Five Oceans, Park Soon-Ja, came under investigation for having taken debts from about two-hundred and twenty creditors at a twenty to forty percent rate. The female entrepreneur owed about ten billion Korean won (about $9 million). After being questioned, Park and her followers then fled, and the police could not find them. However, on August 29, 1987, Park Soon-Ja and thirty-one other people were found dead in the ceiling of a factory in Yongin, South Korea. Initially, the case was ruled as a mass suicide.

Baby Garden, a Christianity sect, was founded by Kim Ki-Soon. Initially a follower of Pastor Lee Kyo-Bu, she amassed her following after her mentor was jailed for about a few years. Kim rose in popularity and soon became a religious leader in her own right. After some time, she asked her followers to stay in communion with her. Afterwards, Kim was being investigated due to the multiple numbers of people that had gone missing in connection to Baby Garden. In 1996, the police tried to raid Baby Garden’s estate, but Kim escaped. Ultimately, on December 16, 1996, Kim decided to turn herself in but denied all the charges that were put against her. Ultimately, she was released.

In 1982, Christian pastor and author, Jaerock Lee (이재록), founded the Manmin Central Church. It grew into a megachurch with a claimed membership of one-hundred and twenty-thousand in nine-thousand member churches. In 2010, Manmin Central church claimed to have the largest number of churches in Korea. Lee's ministry has been controversial, and he has been called a cult leader. In 2018, he was convicted for multiple causes of sexual assault and rape against several members of his church, and he was sentenced to fifteen years in prison.

The series brings the critical hindsight this debacle deserves, clarifying an intentionally muddied narrative. But it also highlights the dangers of noncritically accepting the story you’re given.

Simon says In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal (나는 신이다: 신이 배신한 사람들) receives: